The Boulder-based Brewers Association, which stages the event at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, says it has taken steps to try to avoid the kind of problems that marred last year’s ticket-buying experience. But the basic math has not changed: Organizers are keeping the cap of 49,000 attendees spread out over four sessions Oct. 10-12.

“I wish everyone who wanted to go could go,” said Barbara Fusco, sales and marketing director for the Brewers Association. “But the math just doesn’t work.”

In short, demand to be in the hall at the Great American Beer Festival has never been greater.

First, the basics: tickets go on sale online through Ticketmaster at 10 a.m. MT July 30 for members of the BA and the American Homebrewers Association, and at 10 a.m. MT July 31 to the general public. General session ticket prices have risen to $75 a session, up $10 from last year and $20 from 2010.

Here’s one important change ticket buyers need to know about … you will not be able to use the Ticketmaster mobile app to purchase tickets.

Provided by The Brewers Association

During the members-only pre-sale last year, the app failed to ask for membership identification, defeating the whole purpose of the pre-sale. Mobile app sales were cut off when the problem was discovered.

It was not the only pre-sale problem. On the Ticketmaster website, a glitch involving the terms and conditions box prevented some purchases for a period (it was soon fixed).

Fusco said the BA determined only 21 tickets were sold to non-members because of the app problem. Those orders were canceled and put back on sale to members and snatched up in seconds, she said.

So this year … no mobile app. But that does not mean you must be parked at a computer. Ticket-buyers still may use browers on their smartphones and tablets to buy tickets through the Ticketmaster web site. (Still, Fusco recommends going the computer route and making sure you have an established Ticketmaster account first to simplify things).

Don’t be surprised if the members-only pre-sale closes in record time this year. The American Homebrewers Association, which is part of the BA, has experienced double-digit growth in recent years. As of June 30, there were 38,347 members, up from 33,000 on the eve of last year’s GABF.

A deadline looms for those wishing to take part in the GABF members-only pre-sale, as the AHA reminded through its Twitter account last week:

But being an AHA or BA member does not guarantee GABF tickets. While only members can purchase tickets to the festival’s Saturday afternoon members-only session, the BA caps how many general session tickets are available in the pre-sale, Fusco said (the BA won’t give a specific figure).

Fusco said last year, the members-only pre-sale closed “in a matter of hours.”

Nearly 7,000 Coloradans are AHA members, meaning almost 1 in 5 of members are from here. That suggests that at least some locals are more interested in snagging GABF tickets than tending a kettle.

“I think the pre-sale is certainly one factor in AHA membership, but it’s really just one,” Fusco said. “I would speculate there are very few folks joining the AHA simply for access to the pre-sale.”

After last year’s problems, many angry festival fans called for Ticketmaster’s ouster. So why is the BA sticking with the much-maligned 800-pound gorilla of event ticket sales?

For one, Fusco said, the BA is under contract with Ticketmaster for GABF sales through 2014. The BA, Fusco said, is a nonprofit trade organization and companies such as Ticketmaster are far better equipped to deal with ticket security and warding off scalpers, especially as the festival has exploded in size.

About 600 breweries are expected to take part in this year’s GABF – and hundreds more would like to (provided by The Brewers Association)

The BA attempts to restrict access to ticket brokers by imposing a purchase limit of no more than four tickets per session per buyer, but brokers are adept at circumventing controls.

“Nobody has found a way to completely avoid the secondary market,” Fusco said.

Artists such as Kid Rock, Pearl Jam and Louis CK have sought to keep ticket prices down and frustrate scalpers by developing alternatives to the large ticket operators, but it’s uncertain at this point whether the BA has either the desire or ability to go in that direction at some point.

Said Fusco: “No options are off the table when the time comes to either renew or pursue a different option.”

Wearing hops on your head won’t give you an edge in getting tickets, but AHA membership will (provided by the BA).

Fusco said BA officials continue to cull registrations to weed out those that might be ineligible because of lack of licensing or commercial availability. Some wait-listed breweries have been notified they will be given spots, while others still may get the call, she said.

Organizers figure out how many breweries they can accommodate based partly on how many beers can reasonably be judged in the competition; this year’s GABF will feature roughly 600 breweries, up from last year’s record 578.

The festival always has given participating breweries the option of only having their beers judged in the competition and not poured at booths. Fusco said on average, about 100 breweries choose that path.

With demand so high, she said organizers are working on an “interim solution” that would allow for additional breweries to pour in the festival hall but not be part of the competition.

The BA is also looking at how much space to afford to non-beer exhibitors, which would impact how many breweries it can squeeze in. But that, too, is a delicate balance, Fusco said, with organizers dedicated to accommodating everything from T-shirt booths to the silent disco to give people something to do other than drink.

So to summarize for would-be ticket buyers … get that Tickemaster account squared away, forget the mobile app, get as many friends and relatives as possible online at the right time and consider joining the AHA by the pre-sale participation deadline if you haven’t already.

Also know that you can do everything right and still end up disappointed.

“The festival is sort of like your favorite concert or the Super Bowl at this point,” Fusco said. “And unfortunately, not everyone who wants to buy tickets will be able to buy tickets.”

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In Colorado, our pint glasses overflow with excellent beer. New breweries, new batches, festivals every other week. How lucky are we? First Drafts is The Denver Post's beer blog aimed at helping you keep tabs on the state's ever-expanding craft beer culture. We offer a mash of news, event coverage, homegrown stories, tasting notes and tips to help you imbibe. Expert drinker or homebrewer? Let us know what you're loving about Colorado's beer scene. Not sure exactly what a firkin is? No worries, let us be your guide. Go ahead. Belly up and drink it in!